We are so excited to be back in the boat shop with Andy Miller of the popular YouTube Channel, Boatworks Today. Andy has been working on his Bertram Moppie 25 restoration project and in today’s video of the week, he continues the transom rebuild with a coat of Gelcoat.
Over the past year, Andy has gone through a lot of changes that he is excited and thankful for. He moved from Wisconsin to Michigan, sold his house and shop, and built a new shop. He is now settled, and picking up where he left off; the transom rebuild.
The original transom has been removed, and he has replaced it with 2 1/4 inches of Coosa Board and as it stands right now he has one layer of 1708 biaxial fiberglass cloth over the face as well as one layer of 1708 tape all the way around. This was all laid up using Polyester Laminating Resin. He decides to seal the surface with Gelcoat with Wax. He chooses this because polyester resins need to have a certain film thickness to cure and so he prefers the Gelcoat with the added benefit that it is an opaque color.
As Andy goes to mix a batch of the Gelcoat, he finds he has an older can that has been properly stored in a temperature controlled environment. But to be safe, he needs to test it first on a sample board. He shows how he tests the old batch before using it on the transom. Once cured, the test showed the Gelcoat was still good to use on the transom so he can seal the Polyester Laminating Resin, get it sanded and finish the transom transformation! The rest of the video we get to see a timelapse of Andy applying the Gelcoat with a roller. It is definitely a satisfying step to this transom rebuild and we can’t wait to see it finished soon.
Be sure to subscribe to Andy’s YouTube channel as his video approach focuses more on detail and technique, providing the most information possible to help his viewers broaden their boatworks knowledge. Enjoy today’s video of the week! Let us know what you think about Andy’s project below!
3 comments
If there is only one boating repair channel to watch this is THE ONE! I have learned so much from Boatworks Today videos and he is the real deal. Much better than so many other channels where the " “We didn’t know anything about boating but quit our jobs and now film the girlfriend in a bikini”, click bait vids". I have ordered Total Boat products after watching his videos.
perfect video. need to test out some old gelcoat ive kept in the fridge for years. its matched perfect to my hull, so i hope it works. thanks!
Andy,
Another great video! I’m currently working on a 38 Sabre 2001 that has lots of gel cote issues.
A known issue from 1999- 2002. Most of the forward deck has cracks and lots of crazing. My plan is to take down the non slip gel cote to a uniform height fill all the cracks with polyester, prime and top coat with paint and then put back a non slip additive in the original pattern with the final top coat.
Your comments?
One concern is if I don’t remove all the gelcoat ?
Your videos have been a huge help and education for me and several of your product recommendations have taken the guess work out of projects .👍
Bob Legere
Bermuda